Gamble Sands Golf Club architect David McLay Kidd believes his latest project — located south of state Highway 17 on the Colville Indian Reservation and set to open in August 2014 — will have the ability to transform the town of Brewster and its surrounding areas into tourist destinations.

Three Rivers Hospital commissioners will meet at noon, Monday for the first time since the contentious Dec. 16 board meeting, when the hospital’s physicians presented a letter calling for Chief Executive Officer Bud Hufnagel’s immediate resignation.

Short agendas are planned for the Okanogan County commissioners on Monday and Tuesday. Dan McCarthy with Tonasket Emergency Medical Services will be on hand for an update Monday, along with the county planning department. Public comment is slated for 4 p.m.

Friday, December 27

The city is nearing completion on several projects paid for with a $500,000 state Department of Commerce energy grant.
One of the projects was a new vestibule built onto the front of City Hall, 113 Lakeshore Drive.

Young skiers, age 6 to 12 of any level, are invited to attend a holiday camp Sunday and Monday at the Mazama Community Center, 512 Goat Creek Road, at the junction of Lost River Road.
The camp, sponsored by the Methow Valley Nordic Ski Education Foundation, will run 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Washington Interscholastic Activities Association recently announced fall points totals for the Washington Army National Guard Scholastic Cup.
The cup recognizes performance in the classroom as well as on the playing surface.

Will we have a white Christmas in the Okanogan Valley?
Well, that’s up to Mother Nature and, frankly, I don’t really care. As of Friday, when I wrote this, we had a little bit of snow and it was still falling, but the jury was still out for Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas.
There, I said it. I didn’t wish you happy holidays or a joyful Kwanzaa. I wished you a Merry Christmas. After all, the holiday predominately celebrated in North America and Europe this time of year is just that, Christmas.

Tuesday, December 24

Santa Claus is coming town, but where exactly is the jolly old elf at this precise moment?
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa’s flight path as he travels the world delivering presents Christmas Eve, so parents can get those naughty and nice children off to bed before St. Nick comes sliding down their chimneys.

The Omak High School boys basketball team won a pair of close games last week and moved into a tie for fourth place in the Caribou Trail League.
The Pioneers came from nine points down at the half against Cashmere on Saturday before pulling out a 57-53 league victory.

Tonasket put together strong showings in high school wrestling last week.
The Chronicle covered in Wednesday’s edition Tonasket winning the Okanogan Invitational on Saturday with some of its wrestlers and sent other wrestlers to Tri-State in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Tonasket also blew away Kettle Falls, 58-19, in a dual meet Dec. 18.

Friday, December 20

A scattering of snow began to fall in town Friday, creating a thin layer of slick accumulation on the streets by noon.
The National Weather Service said total daytime snow accumulation of around an inch could be possible.

Three Rivers Hospital commissioners selected a course of action Monday to cut costs, but not before the physicians called for the head administrator’s resignation.
Dr. James Lamberton read a letter, signed by all the physicians that work with the hospital, which cited a lack of trust in the board and in Chief Executive Officer Bud Hufnagel.

Major League Baseball is in the process of installing a rule that would ban collisions at home plate. Although the new rule could be implemented as soon as the upcoming baseball season, the more plausible time frame is for a 2015 launch.
The move parallels what the National Football League has been pushing for several years with regards to reducing concussions.

A meeting of the minds took place Monday night as various leaders and elected officials gathered to discuss issues affecting their community.
The Tonasket School District, which is in the process of putting a bond and levy to the voters in February, organized the meeting, which featured representatives from the school board, Hospital District No. 4, local fire districts, the city, county commissioners and 7th District Rep. Joel Kretz and Sen. Brian Dansel.

Okanogan County Public Health wants to know how community members perceive health-related issues in the community.
The health district is conducting a community health assessment and is seeking opinions from as many people as possible. The 11-question survey can be accessed through the district’s website.

Special services for Christmas are planned all over Okanogan, Ferry and Douglas counties, starting tonight, Wednesday, with a carol sing and bonfire at the Hope Lutheran Church.
The third annual event will be from 7-9 p.m. at the church, 1520 Sunset Drive.

Help is on the way for folks who feel obligated to comment on, “like” or repost every little scrap of minutiae that lands on their Facebook page.
The folks at Google are seeking a patent for a program described as “automated generation of suggestions for personalized reactions in a social network,” the International Science Times website reports.

Three Rivers Hospital commissioners will consider two new options to cut costs in 2014 during a meeting Monday that may assuage fears of closing down the labor and delivery department.
The meeting will begin at noon at the Hillcrest Administration Building, 415 Hospital Way.

If you like voting for athletes, consider the nominees for the 79th annual MTR Western Sports Star of the Year.
The possible stars, announced Thursday by the Seattle Sports Commission, is a collection of the Northwest’s premier athletes.

Seven people were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of dealing drugs in town and additional arrests are pending.
The arrests are the culmination of a two-month investigation by the North Central Washington Narcotics Task Force, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said Thursday.

The town will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of its incorporation Saturday with a variety of activities at the Mount Olive Grange Hall.
The centennial event will be from 1-6 p.m., with dinner being served at 4 p.m.

State officials say original online data that resulted in the creation of a hotly debated list of “interested landowners” for selling property or granting easements is there only to provide transparency.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge from Internet retailer Amazon.com over its being forced by a state to collect sales tax, even though it didn’t have a physical presence in that state.

It’s that time of year again, when we shop for presents, load up the refrigerator and put up Christmas trees.
We go to church, proclaim our good will toward each other and wish everybody we meet a Merry Christmas.

For nearly 50 years, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree has been a holiday tradition in Washington, D.C. I’m proud to say this is the second time a tree from Washington state has been selected as the Capitol Christmas Tree.

The city’s 2012 business of the year is closing up shop at year’s end.
Owner Melanie Carroll said she plans to close Salmon Creek Coffee Co., 134 S. Second Ave., but is amenable to leasing the business.

Two stalwart volunteers have been tapped as the Omak Senior Center’s royalty for the Twilight Christmas Parade.
Karen Corrier Spencer and Ivadelle Sullivan will ride in the Saturday procession, which starts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and runs along Main Street.

Components of the annual Omak-Okanogan Community Christmas Basket Program are coming together as volunteers plan for the annual giveaway for people in need.
As in past years, the program will include food for Christmas dinner, staples for the week, toys, warm hats and clothing.

Oroville found a way past Curlew, 52-48, in a non-league game Saturday.
“It was a good first win for the young Hornets against a tough Curlew team,” Oroville coach Jay Thacker said.
The teams were tied at 24 at halftime before the Cougars led, 35-30 after three periods.

Sunday, December 8

Okanogan High School’s girls and boys basketball teams got some international competition and new friends Wednesday night.
The Bulldogs took on the Kempsey Australia Spirit, which is touring Washington and Oregon before flying home Dec. 20.

The Omak High School girls basketball team knocked off Lake Roosevelt, 62-47, on the road Wednesday in the first game of the season for both schools.
“We pulled out in the first quarter and just stayed ahead the entire game,” Omak coach Rolland Hansen said.

Wednesday, December 4

It has been a long time since I have heard the cry of the pika, a small member of the hare family.
While the North Cascades Highway was being built, the roadbed was in, but not yet surfaced, as far as Lone Fir Campground. If you wanted to go farther up, you walked.

Fifteen applications have been filed for hopeful marijuana-producing businesses in Okanogan County since the state opened the filing period Nov. 18.
Okanogan County has the fifth-highest concentration in terms of applications per resident, behind Kittitas, Lincoln, Pend Oreille and San Juan counties.

Lee Morrison paused barely a moment over the Thanksgiving holiday to contemplate what he’s accomplished in the last few weeks.
The always on-the-go fighter, coach and most recently husband, was moving into a new home over the weekend.

The defending state 1A champion Brewster High School girls basketball team graduated two players, but should be a contender again this year.
“We’ve got some holes to fill, there’s no doubt about that,” Brewster coach Roger Boesel said. “I do have a pretty good nucleus. We are not going to have as much depth this year. We didn’t have that much last year.”

Okanogan High School graduate Kelly Neely will be coaching in the Tacoma Dome this Saturday.
The 1984 graduate, who is the brother of former Okanogan High School football coach Denny Neely, is the offensive coordinator at No. 3 state-ranked Freeman (13-0).

Liberty Bell High School, the defending state 2B wrestling champions, should again be the team to beat this year.
The Mountain Lions graduated only two – champion Justin McMillan and second-place Taylor Woodruff – from a group of six that reached the finals last year.

Several events in town this weekend will kick off the holiday season.
The Animate Objects Circus Cabaret comes to town Friday night.
The cabaret will start at 7 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center, 14 S. Cedar St.

My how time flies, at least within the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In the last few weeks, we’ve reported on the Haeberle family’s dismay at the agency’s attempt to use their ranch to boost Fish and Wildlife’s land acquisition efforts.

Sunday, December 1

Honor students at Okanogan High School collected snacks and easy-to-make foods to help their fellow students through the long Thanksgiving weekend.
The food was given to the district’s Family Empowerment Project, which distributed it to students “who live in food-insecure homes,” National Honor Society adviser Trisha Bradley said.

A rate increase for Okanogan County Public Utility District customers was approved by utility commissioners during their Nov. 21 meeting.
The district is passing on an increase of nearly $1 million from the Bonneville Power Administration.